Conspiracy and Fries

[Anatole]

There is a conspiracy growing in the Freehold. At its heart is the burned dwarf Anatole, the Emerald Fairest Titania Vincent and the whisperwisp Kinf Sorrows James Turner Shane

The last time the conspirators gathered, they had done so under Autumn's roof; a quite unexpected gathering with surprising results.

This time, Anatole has moved their meeting out of Edna's (this isn't strictly business of the Ash anymore). He has found a little eatery - a cheap little diner - tucked out of the way in a quiet corner of town; and in the city's northern regions, across the river and in one of the poorer neighbourhoods less frequented by students and the usual traffic that were of interest to the Lost.

This diner was definitely no frills. But the fries turned out to be very good even if the coffee was chalky and tasteless. The aged setting helped as well: Anatole had found a tiny booth framed by yellow brick walls (no window here) and an entry point to the establishment. If they kept reasonably quiet, no one entering would notice they were there because they would be focussed on making their order at the counter. The booth was clearly an afterthought and an attempt to squeeze one more table out of the available space.

Anatole loved it.

He is waiting for the others with a bowl of those delicious fries, that he has traversed the city to east, and a pot of tea because one cup of the diner's coffee was more than enough.

[James Turner]

It was still really early for James, he was still waking up but he'd managed to put on clothes and make his way out during the sun's oppressive hours. He'd gotten Anatole's message when he'd woken up with a soft groan, it was ok he could grab a few things after and use the fact he was awake so early to his advantage. He was wearing black slacks, belt, one of the watches Titania had given to him as a gift, today was a shirt for Requiem.


He waved to Anatole and looked up at the counter and ordered a coffee and then eggs and bacon breakfast, since this was actually breakfast for him. He took a seat to join Anatole, taking a sip of his coffee and grimacing. "Ugh, you can tell it's instant coffee." He kept his voice low still before smiling at the burned dwarf, sitting across from him he waited for his food and Titania.


"How've you been Anatole?" Small talk maybe but James still wanted to know if his friend was doing well.

[Anatole]

A BUMP goes out to Titania Vincent

[Titania]

Whoever had said that "hard work pays off", was clearly saying the truth. For the past few months the balance of funds of her bank account had drawn a steady hockey stick graph, courtesy of her sales prowess matched by a genial social media campaign that had bought her a fair share of local recognition on the websphere.
So, she's surprised when Anatole announces that their next meeting is going to be held at such an inexpensive location. She had imagined something a tad... grander for their club.
Her doubts are however dispelled once there. Sure, the neighborhood is not the best, and the area is far from the swankiest part of town, but it smells clean.
Tea?

What's more, she likes this kind of retro-chic. Most people would deem it anachronistic, but she was born in a time when it was considered the avant-garde.
She steps inside, luscious brown locks waving in the air as she walks on her heels. She dresses simple, a pink cashmere sweater that is cut way above her knees, leaving a good portion of her toned legs exposed. Risque enough to inspire a certain fascination upon those so inclined, but not enough to be scandalous.
One of the zodiac watches is on her left wrist, while a white gold bracelet is on the other. She smells good.
Thus it's no wonder that despite Anatole's best effort, and the strategic location of the booth, her arrival captivates the attention of those customers being served at the counter and everyone else's. She smiles, reaching for her friends, while some patrons still stare at the bubbly brunette.
"Hello", she says cheerfully, greeting them on the cheek, as some English do with those they recognize as intimate friends, before sliding in the booth, on Anatole's side.

[Anatole]

Anatole waits, narrow eyed. First the Darkling, and then the Fairest join him.

"I am well. Been successful, too - building my little portfolio - which is going to come in handy for our plans. And I've been offering my services to our... community. I figure it is time to lend a hand again. My recovery is over."

He responded to James, his voice hardening decisively with his last sentence.

"Titania! Welcome!"

He flashes a grin, receives the Fairest's kiss, and gestures for Titania to sit. The Fairest has moved too quickly and his gesture has the appearance of lag. He doesn't mind; doesn't even shrug. Instead he reaches out and offers the bowl of fries to his confederates.

"Try the fries. They are very good. Pity about the coffee... I suggest tea instead - the establishment's list is small but at least they know how to make it."

Looking across at the Darkling.

"We're due for a change soon. I hope waring the crown hasn't been too wearisome for you. But enough! How has the man been faring since we last met?"

And then he moved slightly to include Titania.

"And you, Titania? How has the past season treated you?"

He was smiling. He let his happy face linger a moment longer before his features fell back into a more stern visage.

"It has been a turn of a season. I felt it best we touched base with one another. Edna's didn't seem quite as appropriate as before. So here we are. I believe I have sourced the funding for our venture, should you both wish to continue buying some... alternative... real estate for the Freehold."

He hunched slightly as he named their community for what it was in such a public place.

[James Turner]

It was always impossible not to notice Titania, she turned heads as soon as she walked into a room. Next time he'll see if he can time her entrance by observing the patrons. Her Mask was as radiant as her Mien but far easier for him to process. Her greeting having caught him by surprise being a first for him and unexpected. "Yes. Hello." Sounding almost like it was a programmed response before retaking his seat across from them, sitting in the center on his side thankful for the space.


Last he had seen Titania she'd gotten a new job, Anatole had gotten success. He had found riches of his own, but not of gold. As soon as the basket was offered James took a small pinch of fries, immediately popping them into his mouth. He didn't need to be asked twice. "I've uh..." He thought for a second. "No, yes. I have had worse. I don't do meetings there if I can avoid it."


When Anatole said the word crown John narrowed his eyes at the man then slowly let them drift to the side. They were secluded but this wasn't private, not really. Leave the Winter to be paranoid, but his response was one of casual dismissal. Entirely ignoring the comment as he answered the question at hand. "Actually. Good?" He sounded confused when he said it. "Yea. Good." Punctuating the statement with an affirming nod.


"I was going to pass the idea of acquiring additional real estate past the other three board members, see if we can't get some buy in from leadership am I right?" James hadn't think the other two had seen it before, when he slipped into a different mask, wearing a different face for the lie. His body language changing, even his cadence shifted as he adopted the persona whether he recognized it or not. He'd seen Anatole recognize his mistake and tried to morph it into what might pass as normal talk between business associates.

[Titania]

"Thank you, thank you", she says cheerily. A hesitant hand moves over the fries, before ruling against digging in, instead she merrily partakes into the tea.
It smells nice.
"I've been well. When I was offered this job I didn't think I'd be the right fit. But as it turns out, It's great. I just moved to a newer apartment and each month I'm saving quite a bit. I'm even saving for college", she smiles, turning to Anatole, "I could use your investment advice. Not for free, of course", she winks.
"Glad the season has treated the both of you well".
James' words are met with a shake of her head, "I think we shouldn't involve the board. Strictly speaking, this should be our project. Between the three of us we have more than enough funds, and if we didn't, I'm sure we could find way to acquire them on a short notice". Which is an elegant way of saying she doesn't want them sticking their noses in their private business.

[Anatole]

Anatole frowns. At himself more than the Darkling. He nods absently in response placing the fries back on the table and going for his tea cup. He can't really hide behind it; instead he drinks from his cup and lays it on the table.

"MMMM. No. I prefer to keep this venture as our own. I believe we have a few... issues... with the temper of the current - ah! - board and the way things are being run. How they react to our activity will actually inform us of how they handle... how they handle focus groups such as ours."

He looked from the Darkling to the Fairest and back.

It would appear that Titania shared his sentiments.

"Besides. Our venture, if successful, would be something of a surprise for the community at large."

Now the burned dwarf lets himself grin mysteriously.

"And perhaps we can lead the way in establishing other focus groups. Which would assist the kind of change we wish to bring about, yes?"

[James Turner]

John, still in his business persona now crossed one leg over the other and leaned forward on his elbows pushing his fingers to his lips tapping them as the rebutted him. He reached forward snatched a fry and then leaned back in his seat and shook his head. "That was before I was on the board. I have a duty to inform them now, you know that. But...to your point." He Jabbed the fry at Anatole before tossing it into his mouth for a pause. "We don't have to wait and see how they react. I tell them the idea then I tell you what happened." He unfolded his hands like he was revealing something before relaxing back and grabbing the coffee and putting the mug to his lips with a grimace on his face.


"Harder and easier in some aspects. I do think buy in from the board itself, AND FUTURE Board members will go a long way and do a lot of good But, we'll see what we can do about the spot for us then, yea." Anatole's last words caused him to chew at a couple of more fries, slowly as he digested that ideas. A sip of coffee, even in one of its most vile forms, was enough to kick the brain back into motion. "Isn't our start up a little small for that? We could host what 3 maybe 4 groups and that's assuming you have enough like mind people? Still an idea I like though, obviously. Were we looking to recruit more members for our project? I know we'd discussed one other in the past. Anyone else wish to bring up anyone?"


Yea John, going to disclose your conflict of interest? Oh fuck, do I really sound like that? John's head shook and his posture shifted and went more back to normal, aka stiff as a board. It was a good point, he had a few conflicts of interest now. The Freehold, the board, the Monarchs, his Courtmates, himself, and then one name was new to that list and had a heavier weight to it than he expected. All it took was one day from being free of conflicts, to being pulled by them in multiple directions.

[Titania]

"I don't have to disclose the details of my private life to the Board. Indeed, I didn't see any transparency in their dealings either, despite the requirements dictated by their public roles", she says, frowning at James and then looking at Anatole for a backup, "the entire point of this project is to keep it independent from their politics. Furthermore, why would we tie our assets with those of the Company when our initial pitch was to keep it a private business venture", she shakes her head.
"Do we have a say in how Edna's or the Tea house are ran? No, the first belongs to a subcommittee, the second business is owned by a private", she shrugs.
"Please be informed that this contract would take precedence over your other commitments. If you believe your conflict of interests to be insurmountable, then I'm afraid we have nothing else to discuss".
It's clear from her tone that she's passionate about this project. Her lips quiver.

5 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-03-20 07:36:38	Titania rolls 12 to Oratory (Pre + Persuasion + SL4 + DV 1) (10 Again)	10, 9, 5, 4, 5, 9, 3, 2, 9, 9, 3, 5, 7	5 successes

Action ca be resisted with Res + Comp